Page 119 - ACTL Journal Win24

Martindale. They were married in 1961. Justice Russon enjoyed sailing trips through the Caribbean and Baha- mas, family trips to Newport Beach, traveling the world with Alene and weekly breakfast with his grandkids. Jus- tice Russon is survived by Alene, three children and three grandchildren.
David Thomas Ryan, ’88, passed away November 5, 2023 at the age of eighty-four. David was the first mem- ber of his family to attend college; he worked to save the tuition money for the University of Maryland (1961) and then worked his way through law school at Georgetown University (1965), attending classes at night. In 1966, he served as a Clerk with the Connecticut Supreme Court, and stayed in Hartford for practice. David was an avid cy- clist, winning many championships. He enjoyed reading and cooking Italian food, which led him to take cycling trips through the Italian countryside with some of the top cyclists in Italy. His wife of fifty-five years, Dale Anderson Ryan, predeceased him but he is survived by two daugh- ters and three grandchildren.
William Alan Sankbeil, ’93, died on November 16, 2023 at seventy-seven. Bill graduated from Michigan State in
1968 and Wayne State Law School in 1971.
Henry “Hank” Herold Self, Jr., ’94, died on his sev- enty-third birthday, July 19, 2023. Hank attended Au- burn University on a football scholarship and continued on to the University of Alabama School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1975. Hank served as the President of the Colbert County Bar Association and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Alabama
Trial Lawyers Association for well over a decade. Hank met his wife, Laura Jane, while they were in junior high school. They married in 1972 and raised their family on a horse and cattle farm. Hank was a proud member of the Lauderdale County Cattlemen’s Association. Hank had a lifelong obsession with the pursuit of knowledge, contin- ually studying history, science, philosophy, and literature. He never quit learning. Hank is survived by Laura Jane, three children and two grandsons.
John Elzie Simpson, III, ’05, passed away on August 3, 2023 just one day after celebrating his fiftieth anniver- sary with his wife, Carolyn Byrd Simpson; John, known to his friends as “Juice,” was seventy-four. John attended Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University School of Law where he received his law degree. John is the first in his family to receive a college and graduate degree. John and Carolyn had two daughters who they raised in Lubbock. John went to countless dance recitals, tennis matches, golf tournaments, school concerts and plays. John was an avid golfer and a fierce fan of all Texas Tech sports, especially football. He and Carolyn were sea- son-ticket holders for over thirty years and made family trips to out-of-town games against Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Texas, and the 2007 Gator Bowl against his daughter’s alma mater, the University of Virginia. John also had an on-going curiosity for history, religion, and music. He took a three-year course at Congregation Shaareth Israel to learn more about Judaism and fre- quently taught both adult and youth Sunday School at First United Methodist Church. He loved musicals, especially Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. In midlife, John picked up a guitar and began years of weekly lessons. John firmly believed that there were not many problems that could not be solved by eating a bowl of spaghetti bolognese. In addition to Carolyn and their daughters, John is survived by four grandsons.
Glenn Alan Sodd, ’93, was seventy-five at his death on November 12, 2023. Glenn graduated from the Univer- sity of Texas at Arlington and at the top of his class from Baylor University School of Law in 1972. Upon gradua- tion, Glenn joined one of his professors, Matt “Mad Dog” Dawson to form a firm which they grew into a success- ful state-wide practice, which was eventually joined by a daughter and son. Glenn specialized in the representation of landowners in eminent domain cases all across Texas, including, most notably, landowners whose property was condemned for the building of both the Ballpark in Ar- lington and Cowboys Stadium. As a result, Glenn was frequently asked to lecture on eminent domain topics all over the State and Country. Glenn spent much of his free time operating a 4,000-acre working ranch in Navarro County known as The Refuge that Glenn developed into a successful dairy operation with 1200 head of dairy cattle as well as one of the most prolific whitetail deer breeder operations in Texas. Glenn met his wife, Pat, while in col- lege. Their fifty-four-year marriage yielded their three chil- dren and nine grandchildren. The favorite part of Glenn’s day was driving his grandchildren, all of whom lived within a block of him and Pat, to school in the morning.
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